Martin Luther King Jr. Essay essays

Martin Luther King Jr. Essay essays Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday was first agknowledged as a national holiday in 1986. However, his life had become a part of Americans for years before this. To many African Americans whose rights he helped expand, to many other minorities whose lives his victories touched, and to many whites who welcomed the changes his leadership brought, Mr. King's life seemed overwhelming even as he lived it. He is celebrated as a hero not only for the eyes he's opened, but for his dreams and hopes he shared during a time of change. After long training in the North, Mr. King returned to his home, becoming a pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Mr. King became the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott when it broke out in 1955. That year long non-violent protest, which led to a Supreme Court ruling against bus segregation, brought Mr. King to the attention of the entire country. The occurances immediately following were less successful, but still provided Mr. King with the opportunity to strengthen his protest strategies. Then, in 1963, Mr. King and the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) joined a campaign in Birmingham, Alabama to end segregation there and to force downtown businesses to allow blacks to work. Peaceful protests were not long after met by fire hoses and attack dogs, joined by local police. Images of this violence broadcast on national news, began an outrage, and this reaction stirred the political atmosphere, and the next year President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Meanwhile the SCLC was repeating the tactics of Birmingham in Selma, Alabama but this time for the African American voter registration. Once again, images of the police brutality because of the protest helped the passage of federal legislation, this time the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The community of black activists felt that these two major victories set the limit of what gains could still ...

Current events in the economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current events in the economy - Essay Example According to the article in the Journal by Froyen, (2009), the other school of economics that deals with monetarist, real business, and classical cycles believe that fiscal policies cannot increase production or employment levels. Fiscal policy is considered as the planning of government expenditure and revenue thus; tax revenue and government expenditure can be determined as a percentage of GDP. In addition, human capital can be determined as the expenditure on human development as a percentage of GDP. Since the governments do not rely on one source of revenue, fluctuations in the level of GDP do not have an impact on employment and production (Froyen, 2009). Monetary, real business and classical cycles’ theories say that fiscal policies cannot increase the level of employment, but rather influenced by other supply side determinants such as deregulation, technology development and infrastructure. If fiscal policies are considered alone they have the potentiality of affecting employment in all production

Religious Cultural artifacts of India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religious Cultural artifacts of India - Essay Example Amongst the most vivacious illustration of admired visual art found in Indian towns and cities are the religious posters and calendars showing saints, and places of reverence and worship, obtainable at many roadside stalls near temples, mosques, and ornamented at walls inside homes, shops, or in worship-corners. While such visual depiction may have existed in the past in popular forms of painting, the introduction of printing press and the mass construction industry in the 20th century transformed it into a matured mass culture, characterized by its own popular aesthetics, the interpretation of the myths, and the marketing strategy. While it is simple to find religious posters and charts for a Hindu follower in hefty numbers and variety, it is also not difficult to get posters depicting Muslim themes and legends. Although most Muslim posters available in India portray the shrines at Mecca and Medina or the Quranic verses in calligraphy, one can also discover the portraits of saints, their shrines, and the miracles, represented as brilliantly as in a typical Hindu mythological picture. The metaphors of the shrines at Mecca and Medina in Saudi-Arabia, the major religious center for the Muslims, are the most extensively used sanctified icons of popular culture amongst Muslim population all over the world. The cube-shaped shrine of Mecca, to which the Muslims turn for prayers, and the green dome of Medina, surrounded by the minarets, the names Allah and Muhammad in large Arabic calligraphy, and possibly, a crescent and star, are icons that can be seen in almost every Muslim family in some structure or the other - a photo realistic painting or a creative variation, by a performer who probably never gone to Arabia, or may not essentially be a Muslim! As the creation of portraits, other than that of Mecca and Medina, is generally not considered as a right act in Islam, the written words are of supreme importance, the calligraphy of Quranic verses and other blessed tex ts is the next preference of the Muslim artists. For years, the Perso-Arabic calligraphists have also been making art with the 'pictorialization' of the text, turning words into shapes of animals, birds, human postures, and other inanimate objects. This, even though has been treasured in the Muslim world as a innovation, has also met with some disapproval. Nevertheless, one can find a wide variety of calligraphic themes in the Indian trendy posters. The more appealing theme, the heart of this study, is the interpretation of Muslim saints, their miracles and other tradition. Many posters depict the images of the mausoleums or the tomb complexes of famous saints, often with the personage of the saint himself, complete with the icons of his strange mythology and miracles, such as the vicious animals he disciplined, the oceans he crossed on barefoot, and so on. Similar to the tradition of Hindu gods and goddesses, the Muslim saints are shown with extra charisma and glowing personalities , wearing imposing robes and turbans. CULTURAL ARTIFACT AND ITS IMPACT: The religious posters participate actively in what can be called the stereotyping of the representation of certain communities and of the genders. A young woman or a child, if

Causes of the AT&T-BellSouth Takeover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes of the AT&T-BellSouth Takeover - Essay Example Consequently, the revenues of the company were falling, stock process declining and incurred huge cost price. Things looked even bleaker given the coming of internet phone calls and more serious competition from cable and wireless companies. AT&T, which is a holding company agreed to take-over BellSouth as a strategy to position it as a company committed in enhancing convergence, progressive innovation and competition in the communication and entertainment industry (Reardon, 2006). The take-over guaranteed AT&T Inc the rights to own and manage Cingular Wireless which is a leading provider of wireless data and voice services (Reardon, 2006). Moreover, AT&T would have the exclusive rights on ownership of YellowPages.Com which offer Yellow Pages and local search site. Reardon (2006) asserts that the AT&T-BellSouth takeover would help AT&T company cut down its labor by 10,000 jobs between 2007 and 2009. AT&T also hoped to increase its revenues and customer to about $ 130 billion in sales and 70 million customers by increasing its market niche from the previously 13 states to 22 states following the acquisition of the 9 southeast states previously served by BellSouth. Basis for the Final Agreed Price Before a company can be taken-over by another or in the case of merger, it is important that the value of the company is determined (Gould and Leisner, 2009). The value of the company is its net worth and is used to determine the final price to be paid out during acquisition. Whitney (2012) describes seven things that should be considered in valuing a business during a merger and acquisition of resources. He argues that the value of the business consists of not only the price but also includes the associated terms and the deal structure. He further explains that there exist different values of the business due to different operation assumptions, terms of payment and deal structure and not because of use of different valuation methods. Whitney (2012) describes future per formance, asset type, exit strategy, cash flow and deal structure as some of the determinants of business value. In 2006, AT&T Inc resolved to merger with a fellow telephone company BellSouth in a stock transaction worth $ 67 billion (Reardon, 2006). In the proposal for the merger, AT&T shareholders were to receive 1.325 shares of AT&T common stock for every BellSouth Common share. Reardon (2006) explains that under these terms, the deal would represent a premium of 17.9 percent over the closing stock price on Friday, 3rd March, 2006. Each of BellSouth common shares would be quote eat 37.09. However, Public Service Commission, (2006) explains that merger was subject to approval by the regulatory authorities and shareholders from both companies and was to be completed within six months. On December, 29th 2006, the takeover of BellSouth by AT&T was approved by Federal Communications Commission after the two companies settled on extra concessions that had been demanded by two Democrats members of the agency. The takeover price was agreed to be $ 85 billion as reported (Bartash, 2006). The take-over was approved four members while one abstained from voting. In determining the final price, a ratio of the closing prices of the stock of each company was calculated after which BellSouth shareholders were allocated the

Effective emerging leader Essay Example for Free

Effective emerging leader Essay It is very important for an effective emerging leader such as me, to become stronger in a stimulating, educationally-rich environment. To become great, a student leader must have many great examples of leadership, teaching and truth. The University of South Florida embodies all of these traits for me, and that is why this university appeals to me in every way. I have had the opportunity not only to practice leadership in middle school as the student body President, but also be the Relay for Life Captain for three years, Yearbook Club Editor, Cross Country Captain and senior Student Government President to finish my high school years. Another advantage I have is the fact that my Aunt Graduated from USF and my mother will be attending USFs School of Education in a couple of years. My Aunt has introduced me to the campus, and through her I have heard about the awesome opportunities and great times that await me. Leadership has always been the role I was meant to assume and effective degree-holding leaders are crucial in our fast paced, ever evolving world. I believe The University of South Florida will teach me how to become such a leader with its world class faculty and all the opportunities Greek life and volunteering affords. In conclusion, leadership traits I have learned from experience, mentors and teachers over the years will truly benefit my USF life and other USF Bulls as well! Whether it is through volunteer opportunities such as Relay for Life, or running for a position on the student Senate, I intend to be a very effective leader at the University of South Florida and leave an everlasting mark of greatness on its campus.

The Mood and Image in Poetry :: essays research papers

The Mood and Image in Poetry â€Å"This afternoon was the colour of water falling through sunlight; the trees glittered with the tumbling of leaves; The sidewalks shone like alleys of dropped maple leaves; And the houses ran along them laughing out of square; Open windows† (Lowell 185). This quote, taken out of Amy Lowell’s poem â€Å"September 1918,† illustrates the ability of the author to be very descriptive in order to give the reader an image of where she is and what is surrounding her. Through this poem she also give's the reader a sense of being there as well. Another author that resembles Lowell is Emily Dickinson. In Dickinson’s poem "I heard a Fly buzz-when I died" she says, â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz-when I died- The Stillness in the Room Was like the stillness in the Air- Between the Heaves of Storm† (Dickinson 1202). Like Lowell, Dickinson describes what she sees surrounding her, and by saying that she was dead in her poem she provides the reader the a bility to create a mental image of a person actually dead in a coffin. Also in her poem called â€Å"Because I could not Stop for Death† Dickinson says, â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death- He kindly stopped for me- The Carriage held just but Ourselves and Immortality† (Dickinson 1206). In Dickinson’s second poem, she describes how death is taking her in its carriage to immortality. Making the reader create a picture of death actually taking her to infinity. In her first poem the mood that Dickinson sets up is one of quietness and stillness because she says that the room was so quiet and serene that she actually heard a fly buzz by. And in her second poem the mood that Dickinson sets up is one of sadness. Both Lowell and Dickinson, provide their readers with poems, which are both descriptive, making the reader's feel involved in what they are reading. Also through their poems they set up a mood to make the reader's understand what it would be like to be in that specific place and time. In â€Å"September 1918† Lowell writes about how she felt during World War I. As she is walking through the park she describes collecting leaves as a keepsake for old memories which she wishes reminded her of good times, instead of the bad times that the war had brought. She says, â€Å"Someday there will be no war.

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 4

At that moment Thea almost hated her cousin. But there was no choice. Four pairs of eyes were watching her: Blaise's gray eyes, Vivienne's emerald green, Selene's dear blue, and Dani's velvety dark ones. They were waiting. Thea got up and began the long walk across the patio. She felt as if everyone was watching her. She tried to keep her steps measured and confident, her face serene. It wasn't easy. The closer she got to that sandy hair, the more she wanted to turn and run. She had tunnel vision now: everything on the sides was a blur; the only clear thing was Eric's profile. Just as she got within earshot, he glanced up and saw her coming. He looked startled. For a moment his eyes met hers: a deeper green than Vivienne's, more intense and more innocent. Then, without a word, he turned away and walked quickly down a path between two buildings. He was gone before Thea knew what was happening. She stood rooted to the ground. There was a huge amount of empty space inside her, with only her uncomfortably pounding heart trying to fill it. Okay; he hates me. I don't blame him. Maybe it's good; maybe Blaise will say we can all forget him now. But when she went back to the shady table, Blaise was frowning thoughtfully. â€Å"You just don't have the technique yet,† she said. â€Å"Never mind. I can coach you.† â€Å"Viv and I can help, too,† Selene murmured. â€Å"You'll learn fast.† â€Å"No-thank you,† Thea said. Her pride was hurt and her cheeks were on fire. â€Å"I can do it myself. Tomorrow. I have a plan already.† Dani squeezed her hand under the table. â€Å"You'll do fine.† Blaise said, â€Å"Just make sure it's tomorrow. Or I might think you don't really want him.† And then, to Thea's immense relief, the bell rang. â€Å"Hawthorne, yarrow, angelica†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thea peered through the thick blue glass of an unlabeled jar. â€Å"Some kind of nasty powder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She was in the front room of her grandmother's shop, deserted now because it was closed for the evening. Just being with all these herbs and gems and amulets gave her a feeling of comfort. Of control. I love this place, she thought, looking around at the floor-to-ceiling shelves of bottles and boxes and dusty vials. One whole wall was devoted to trays of stones-unpolished and polished, rare and semiprecious, some with symbols or words of power engraved on them, some dirty and fresh from the earth. Thea liked putting her hands in them and murmuring their names: tourmaline, amethyst, honey topaz, white jade. And then there were the good-smelling herbs: everything you needed to cure indigestion or to call a lover; to soothe arthritis or to curse your landlord. Some of these-the simples-worked whether you were a witch or not. They were just natural remedies, and Gran even sold them to humans. But the real spells required both arcane knowledge and psychic power, and no human could make them active. Thea was whipping up a real spell. First, heartsease. That was good for any love charm. Thea opened a canister and fingered the dried purple and yellow flowers gently. Then she dropped a handful of them into a fine mesh bag. What else? Rose petals were a given. She unstopped a large ceramic jar and got a whiff of sweetness as she sprinkled them in. Chamomile, yes. Rosemary, yes. Lavender†¦ she twisted the cork out of a small vial of lavender essence. She could use some of that right this minute. She mixed it in her palm with a teaspoon of jojoba oil then dabbed the fragrant liquid on her temples and at the back of her neck. Blood, flow! Headache, go! The tension in her neck started to ease almost instantly. She took a long breath and looked around. Some bones of the earth would help. Rose quartz carved in the shape of a heart for attraction. A lump of raw amber for charm. Oh, and throw in a lode-stone for magnetism and a couple of small garnets for fire. It was done. Tomorrow morning she'd take a bath, letting this giant tea bag infuse the water while she burned a circle of red candles. She'd soak in the potent mixture, letting the smell of it, the essence of it, seep into her skin. And when she got out, she'd be irresistible. She was about to walk away when a leather pouch caught her eye. No. Not that, she told herself. You've got a mixture here to promote interest and affection. It's plenty strong enough just to get him to listen to you. You don't want anything stronger. But she found herself picking up the soft pouch anyway. Opening it, just to look inside. It was full of reddish-brown chips, each about the size of a thumbnail with a woody, aromatic smell. Yemonja root. Guaranteed to draw an unwilling heart. But usually forbidden to maidens. Recklessly, not letting herself think about it, Thea transferred half a dozen chips to her mesh bag. Then she put the worn leather pouch back on its shelf. â€Å"Figured it out yet?† a voice behind her said. Thea whirled. Gran was standing at the foot of the narrow stairway that led to the apartment above the store. â€Å"Uh-what?† She held the mesh bag behind her back. â€Å"Your specialty. Herbs, stones, amulets†¦ I hope you're not going to be one of those chanting girls. I hate that whiny music.† Thea loved the music. In fact, she loved all the things Gran had mentioned-but she loved animals even better. And there wasn't much of a place for animals in witch life, not since familiars had been outlawed during the Burning Times. You could use bits of animals, sure. Lizard foot and nightingale tongue. Blaise was always trying to get hold of Thea's animals for just that purpose, and Thea was always fighting her off. â€Å"I don't know. Gran,† she said. â€Å"I'm still thinking.† â€Å"Well, you've got time-but not too much,† her grandmother said, walking slowly toward her. Edgith Harman's face was a mass of creases, she hunched, and she used two canes-but that wasn't bad for a woman over a hundred who ran her own business and tyrannized every witch in the country. â€Å"Remember, you've got some decisions to make when you hit eighteen. You and Blaise are the last of our line. The last two direct descendants of Hellewise. That means you have a responsibility-you have to set an example.† â€Å"I know.† At eighteen, she would have to decide not just her specialty, but which Circle she would join for life: Twilight or Midnight. â€Å"I'll think about it, Gran,† she promised, putting her free arm around the old woman. â€Å"I've still got six months.† Gran stroked Thea's hair with a veined, gentle hand. It chased the last of Thea's headache away. Still holding the mesh bag behind her back, she said, â€Å"Gran? Are you really mad about having us here for the school year?† â€Å"Well, you eat too much and you leave hair in the shower†¦ but I guess I can stand it.† Gran smiled, then frowned. â€Å"Just as long as you stay in line until the end of the month.† There it was again. â€Å"But what's happening at the end of the month?† Gran gave her a look. â€Å"Samhain, of course! All Hallow's Eve.† â€Å"I know that,† Thea said. Even the humans celebrated Halloween. She wondered if Gran was having one of her vague spells. â€Å"Samhain-and the Inner Circle,† Gran said abruptly. â€Å"They've picked the desert for their ceremony this year.† â€Å"The desert-you mean here? The Inner Circle is coming here? Mother Cybele and Aradia and all of them?† â€Å"All of them,† Gran said. Suddenly her wrinkles looked grim. â€Å"And by Air and Fire, I'm not having them come here just to see you girls screw up-1 have a reputation, you know.† Thea nodded a little dazedly. â€Å"I-welt no wonder you were worried. We won't embarrass you. I promise.† â€Å"Good.† As Thea discreetly tucked the mesh bag under her arm and started for the stairs, the old woman added. â€Å"You'd better toss some plantain into that mix to bind it all together.† Thea felt herself blushing furiously. â€Å"Uh†¦ thanks, Gran,† she said, and went to look for plantain. Above the shop were two tiny bedrooms and a kitchenette. Grandma had one bedroom and Thea and Blaise shared the other. Tobias, Gran's apprentice, had been bumped to the workshop downstairs. Blaise was lying on her bed, reading a thick book with a red cover. Poetry. Despite her frivolous act, she wasn't stupid. â€Å"Guess what,† Thea said, and without waiting for Blaise to guess, told her about the Inner Circle coining. She watched to see if the news would scare Blaise-or at least alarm her into good intentions. But Blaise just yawned and stretched like a well-fed cat. â€Å"Good. Maybe we can watch how they summon the ancestors again.† She raised her eyebrows at Thea meaningfully. Two years ago in Vermont, while the human world was trick-or-treating, they'd hidden behind maple trees and spied on the Samhain summoning. They'd seen the elders use the magic of Hecate, the most ancient witch of all, the goddess of moon and night and sorcery, to bring spirits across the veil. For Thea it had been scary but exciting, for Blaise just exciting. Thea gave up on trying to alarm Blaise. Thea looked at the three star-shaped blue flowers lying on her palm. Then, one by one, she ate them. â€Å"Now say ‘Ego borago guadia semper ago,' † Selene instructed. â€Å"It means, ‘I, borage, always bring courage.' Old Roman spell.† Thea muttered the words. For the second day in a row, she was on the patio looking at a sandy head across the room. â€Å"Go get ‘im, tiger,† Blaise said. Vivienne and Dani nodded encouragingly. Thea squared her shoulders and started across the room. As soon as Eric saw her coming he went down the side path. You idiot, Thea thought. You don't know what's good for you. Maybe I should just let Blaise have you. But she followed him. He was standing just beyond the buildings, staring into the distance. She could only see his profile, which was nice-clean and somehow lonely. Thea swallowed, tasting a lingering sweetness from the borage flowers. What to say? She wasn't used to talking to humans-especially human boys. I'll just say â€Å"What's up?† and be casual she thought. But when she opened her mouth, what came out was, â€Å"I'm sorry.† He turned immediately. He looked startled. â€Å"You're sorry?† â€Å"Yes. I'm sorry I was so mean. What do you think I was following you for?† Eric blinked-and Thea thought his cheeks colored under his tan. â€Å"I thought you were mad because I kept staring at you. I was trying not to get you madder.† â€Å"You were staring at me?† Thea felt a little flushed herself. As if the herbs from her bath were steaming fragrantly out of her skin. â€Å"Well-I kept trying not to. I think I've got it down to one look every thirty seconds now.† He said it seriously. Thea wanted to laugh. â€Å"It's okay. I don't mind,† she said. Yes, she could definitely smell the love potion now. The heady floral scent of rose and heartsease, plus the spice of yemonja root. Eric seemed to take her at her word. He was definitely staring. â€Å"I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk before. With the snake, I mean. I really wasn't trying to feed you a line.† Alarm whispered through Thea. She didn't want to think about what had happened in the desert. â€Å"Yes, okay, I know,† she said. He was watching her so intently, his eyes such a deep green. â€Å"Well- you see, the reason I wanted to talk to you was†¦ you know, there's the Homecoming dance this Saturday. So I thought we could maybe go together.† She remembered at the last instant that in human society boys frequently asked girls to dances. Maybe she'd been too direct. But he looked-well, extremely pleased. â€Å"You're kidding! You're serious? You'd go with me?† Thea just nodded. â€Å"But that's terrific. I mean-thanks.† He was as excited as a kid at Beltane. Then his face clouded over. â€Å"I forgot, though. I promised Dr. Salinger-that's my boss at the pet hospital-that I'd spend the night there Saturday. Midnight to eight a.m. Somebody needs to watch the animals that stay overnight, and Dr. Salinger's going to a conference out of town.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† Thea said. â€Å"We'll just go to the dance before midnight.† She was relieved. It meant less time play-acting in front of Blaise. â€Å"It's a date, then.† He still looked so happy. â€Å"And, Thea?† He said the name shyly, as if almost afraid to use it. â€Å"Maybe-maybe we could do something else sometime. I mean, we could go out, or you could come over to my house†¦.† â€Å"Uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The yemonja smell was really making her dizzy. â€Å"Uh†¦ well, this week-I'm trying to get adjusted to the new school and all. But maybe later.† â€Å"Okay. Later.† His smile was unexpected, astonishing. It transformed his face, turning the sweet, serious shyness into charismatic radiance. â€Å"If there's any way I can help, just ask.† Why, he's handsome, Thea thought. She felt a sort of tug at her insides, like a bird being charmed out of a tree. She hadn't realized how attractive he was, or how the gray flecks in his eyes seemed to catch sunlight†¦. Stop that! she told herself abruptly. This is business, and he's vermin. She felt a flush of shame at using the word, even in thought. But she had to do something. Without meaning to, she'd moved closer to him, so she was looking up into his face. Now they were only inches apart and she was feeling distinctly giddy. â€Å"I have to go-wow. I'll see you later,† she murmured, and made herself back up. â€Å"Later,† he said. He was still glowing. Thea fled. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, she tried to ignore him. Avoided him in the halls, acting as busy as possible. He seemed to understand, and didn't chase her down. She just wished he wouldn't look so dreamy and happy all the time. And then there was Blaise. Blaise already had a couple of husky football players who followed her everywhere, Buck and Duane-but neither of them was invited to the dance. Blaise had a unique method of choosing a partner. She told them all to go away. â€Å"You don't want me,† she said to a gorgeous Asian-American guy with one earring. It was lunch break on Thursday, and the witches had a whole table to themselves: Vivienne and Selene with Blaise on one side; Dani with Thea on the other. The gorgeous guy had one knee on a chair and was looking very nervous. â€Å"You can't afford me, Kevin. I'll ruin you. Better get out of here,† Blaise said, all the while looking up with sleeping fire in her gray eyes. Kevin shifted. â€Å"But I'm rich.† He said it simply, without affectation. â€Å"I'm not talking about money,† Blaise said. She gave a deprecating smile. â€Å"And anyway, I don't think you're really interested.† â€Å"Are you kidding? I'm crazy about you. Every time I see you†¦ I don't know; it just makes me crazy.† He glanced at the other girls and Thea knew he was uncomfortable at having an audience. But not uncomfortable enough to stop talking. â€Å"I'd do anything for you.† â€Å"No, I don't think so.† Blaise was toying with a ring on her left index finger. â€Å"What's that?† Vivienne interjected nonchalantly. â€Å"Hm? Oh, just a little diamond,† Blaise said. She held out her hand and light scintillated. â€Å"Stuart Mac-Ready gave it to me this morning.† Kevin shifted again. â€Å"I can buy you dozens of rings.† Thea felt sorry for him. He seemed like an okay guy, and she'd heard him talk about wanting to be a musician. But she knew from long experience that it wouldn't do any good to tell him to get out of here. It would only make him more stubborn. â€Å"But I wouldn't want a ring from you,† Blaise was saying in a soft, chiding voice. â€Å"Stuart gave this to me because it was the only memento he had of his mom. It meant everything to him-so he wanted me to have it.† â€Å"I'd do the same thing,† Kevin said. Blaise just shook her head. â€Å"I don't think so.† â€Å"Yes, I would.† â€Å"No. The thing that means the most to you is your car, and you'd never give that up.† Thea had seen the car. It was a silver-gray Porsche. Kevin lovingly touched it up with a chamois in the school parking lot every morning. Now Kevin looked confused. â€Å"But-that car's not really mine. It belongs to my parents. They just let me use it.† Blaise nodded understanding. â€Å"You see? I told you that you wouldn't. Now, why don't you go away like a good boy?† Kevin seemed to collapse internally. He stared at Blaise pleadingly, not making a move to go away. At last, Blaise tilted her head at the football flunkies. â€Å"C'mon, man,† one flunky-Thea thought it was Duane-said. They took Kevin by the shoulders and propelled him away. Kevin kept looking back. Blaise dusted her fingers off briskly. Selene pushed back pale hair and drawled, â€Å"Think he'll cough up the car?† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Blaise smiled. â€Å"Let's just say I think I'll have transportation to the dance. Of course, I'm still not sure who I'm taking†¦.† Thea got up. Dani had sat silently through lunch, and now she was watching Blaise, her velvety dark eyes half horrified and half admiring. â€Å"I'm getting out of here,† Thea said significantly, and was relieved when Dani stopped staring at Blaise and stood up. â€Å"Oh, by the way,† Blaise said, picking up her backpack, â€Å"I forgot to give you this.† She handed Thea a small vial, the size that perfume samples came in. â€Å"What's it for?† â€Å"For the dance. You know, to put the boys' blood in.†